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BKK

Being open for another year seems like a good excuse for a coffee shop to throw a party. Having that anniversary fall somewhere near the end of October is more than reason enough to make it a costume party. And that’s exactly the scene we have here at Foolish Things Coffee in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Celebrating its fourth year in existence, the multi-roaster shop decided to close a little early on October 20th to host an 80s-themed Halloween shindig, A Stranger Foolish Things party, if you will.

There was beer, candy, and a host of local businesses like Hi, Juice., Middle West Chocolate, andRetro Den vintage shop. And of course, there were costumes. Given the Stranger Things nature of the event, a few Barbs, Elevens, and perhaps the cutest Lucas ever were all in attendance. Sadly, there was no Demogorgon, which was a real missed opportunity; maybe the flea thought it was an acrobat and wasn’t able to attend because it got stuck in the Upside Down. Who knows.

As a lover of fake fruit-flavored candies, I thought it would be a good idea to make the trek up from Dallas to Tulsa to triangulate between the three goody bowls until I had gobbled up all the Starbursts, all under the guise of journalism. But it turns out a pretty rad party was happening in between those Halloween candy stations, so I snapped a few pics through which you can experience the festivities vicariously. For full enjoyment, eat a strawberry and orange Starburst simultaneously while reading. Enjoy!

The must-have coffee book of 2016 is now available for pre-order: The Annual by the World AeroPress Championship. It’s a 300+ page page retrospective of the 2016 World AeroPress Championship season, replete with every national poster and winning recipe. The book comes packed with photographs, interviews, and competition results, all of it packaged by the print material specialists at Standart, and kicking off with a saucy foreword by Sprudge co-founder Jordan Michelman.

Individual and stockist pre-orders for the book are now available. The book costs $29 USD—order by October 14th and use the code “earlybird” to save 10% on your book.

The effort is part of a delightful rebrand underway at WAC, which does away with the mock insignia of yore and instead ushers in a new, playful graphic representation of the event, with design overseen by Al Keating of Coffee Supreme. The new look for WAC is focused on pointing—how judges adjudicate a winning cup in the competition—and feels to us like it could be early ’90s Daisy Age-era hip hop album art.

The 2017 World AeroPress Championship season kicks off soon, and will culminate at the 2017 WAC global event next November in Seoul, South Korea. Sprudge is the official media partner of the World AeroPress Championship.

I was looking for a quick and easy way to enjoy my very own latte at home. I may have just found it. Take a look at this recipe.

Good baristas always practice their skills by experimenting with different homemade concoctions. At the shops I’ve worked at, we often made mystery drinks for each other after the morning rush. It’s a fun game and we try to outdo each other with our creativity. One of my favorite creations came out of this ritual — the Cookie Latte.

Cuppa Cookie

The basis for this drink is a mocha, which of course is a latte with chocolate sauce added to a combination of espresso, steamed milk, and foam. But I wanted to make a new drink where the chocolate syrup was a little less thick than in the traditional mocha latte.

In a regular mocha, you’d use about ¾ to 1 ounce of syrup per espresso shot. The Cookie Latte is different because it uses about ⅓ of the amount of chocolate you’d normally use.

This is a 12-ounce drink with 2 shots of espresso, but only ½ ounce of chocolate. Then I add ¼ ounce of vanilla syrup and ¼ ounce of hazelnut syrup. Finish if off with a dash of cinnamon, and get ready for a drink that tastes exactly like a chocolate-chip oatmeal cookie!

The Cookie Latte

Ingredients

½ ounce chocolate syrup

¼ ounce vanilla syrup

¼ ounce hazelnut syrup

2 ounces espresso

9 ounces steamed milk and foam

Instructions

The key to this drink is mixing your syrups together first, in the bottom of your empty, pre-heated cup.

Next comes the espresso. Stir these together and add the steamed milk and foam.

I found this delightful recipe at http://foodthinkers.com/the-cookie-latte/ they have some really good recipes, you should check them out. If you’re adventurous enough try it out and tell me about it in the comment sections below.

As a writer, I live on coffee. Regardless of the time of day, there’s always a coffee mug brimming with black gold – coffee. On some days I need something stronger, and this is why we have different machines at home. While a regular coffee maker does the job of making drip coffee rather well, there’s something about the dark and bitter taste of espresso that excites the senses. This is why, in my household, we try to get the best espresso machines that come out every year.

Call it a luxury, but I consider it as an overhead expense. Without a good espresso, my writing won’t be as prolific and my portfolio would suffer. Here are the best espresso machines reviews 2016 and my picks below.

1. Gaggia Classic Espresso Machine

This is a classic Italian machine that is built to last. It comes at a hefty price of almost $400, but it can work well for a busy home office or a newsroom. This Gaggia model is a smaller version of what Italian coffee shops actually use, so expect that quality is good and the output to be superb. If you own one of these, you may not go back to using your old coffee maker again. The rich and heady aroma of warm espresso is enough to make you open your purse and happily hand over your credit card for this piece.

2. DeLonghi Espresso and Cappuccino Machine

Affordable at only $99, the De’Longhi machine offers value for money. It can expertly brew espresso and cappuccino in a short time and with great results too. It is compact, portable and offers thick, rich caffeinated drinks on demand. Users love the dual thermostat which allows it to heat up almost instantly. Best of all, it leaves a thick and long-lasting foam.

Either of these two espresso machines will give you an expertly brewed cup every time. The difference lies in how long they can take the beating.